Singer, actress, and activist Linn Da Quebrada has joined the Big Brother Brazil 22 cast and has become the first person in history to compete in the Brazilian series as an openly Brazilian travesti - a term that has negative connotations in its English translation but that is used by some people in the LGBTQIA+ community in Latin America. For 20 years now, Big Brother has been a huge phenomenon in Brazil that turns anonymous houseguests into high-profile celebrities. In the last few seasons, Big Brother Brazil has shifted its format to cast 10 anonymous players and 10 existing celebrities facing off in the same competition.
In 2020, Big Brother Brazil 20 entered the Guinness World Record book for the most public votes ever received by a reality competition around the world. 1.5 billion votes were cast by the public during a nomination block between Manu Gavassi, Felipe Prior, and Mari Gonzalez. On Big Brother Brazil 21, lawyer and makeup artist Juliette was cast as an anonymous contestant. While she was in the Big Brother house, Juliette gained a whopping 24 million followers on Instagram. Juliette went on to win that season and launched a successful career in music after the show.
With expectations already so high for Big Brother Brazil 22, this season is now breaking even more ground for casting singer and actress Linn Da Quebrada, who identifies herself as a Brazilian travesti (via UOL). Linn was born in São Paulo, Brazil and is currently 31 years old. As a singer, Linn's biggest hits include "Oração", "Tomara", "Bixa Preta", "Alavancô", and "Necomancia". On Spotify, Linn Da Quebrada has over 200,000 monthly listeners. On YouTube, Linn's music videos have over 11 million views. As an actress, Linn had a significant role in the drama series Segunda Chamada and will appear in the upcoming romantic comedy Vale Night.
During her official casting announcement on Big Brother Brazil 22, Linn defined herself as a "multimedia artist and cultural agitator." Linn also called herself an "exception" given that most people in the transgender spectrum in Brazil aren't given many chances to become famous artists and can't even find a lot of work opportunities most times. Despite identifying more specifically as a travesti, many fans are considering Linn to be the second trans woman to ever compete in the Brazilian series. The first trans woman on Big Brother Brazil was Ariadna Arantes, who competed in season 11 and was unfortunately the first evicted houseguest of the season. In a tweet (included below), Ariadna celebrated Linn's casting in season 22: "I officially pass my crown as the first trans woman to the second trans woman on BBB. Rock on, sister!"
Despite already being an accomplished singer, actress, and public figure, Linn Da Quebrada has promised that she is going into Big Brother to give her all in the competitions and potentially win the show. Considering that it has been 11 years since a trans woman was featured on Big Brother Brazil, Linn's casting is already making reality TV history. On social media, Linn seems to be one of the fan-favorites to win the season, and viewers are looking forward to the impact that her journey on such a popular show could have.